22_elias: NEW Master Pages2 11/3/13 15:00 Page 1

PROFILE

Simon Redfern talks to Diego Elias, the first British Junior Open champion from Peru THE FEARLESS PERUVIAN TEENAGER

ith Egypt holding the world junior the Egyptians respectively took 106, 92 won five of those, along with a Pan Wmen’s team and individual titles, and 63 minutes – and he attributes that American junior title, two Canadian and and possessing a seemingly endless quality to his father, Jose Manuel. US Junior Opens, the Pioneer Junior production line of talented teenagers, “I have to thank my dad, because Open, Dutch Junior Open, Scottish Junior you would have thought the prospect of he taught me how to believe in myself Open and BJO. facing three in quick succession would and to never give up, no matter how It was in Scotland that Australian be terrifying. Not for Diego Elias, though. difficult things may look,” said the Lima master likened Diego to The 16-year-old from Peru knew he teenager. great Jansher Khan. The had nothing to lose when he took on top Indeed, it is his father, the Peruvian teenager was stunned by the comment, seed Omar Elatmas in the quarter-finals national coach, who has played a major saying: “I was very surprised to receive of the Tecnifibre British Junior Under-17 part in his career as Diego explained. such a compliment because I never Open in Sheffield, joint third seed “When I was a baby, my mom used thought that I would be compared with Youssef Aboul Makarim in the semis and to take me to watch my dad’s matches that legend. I felt honoured!” second seed Mohamed El Gawarhy in and when a match finished, he always His next targets are the under-19 the final. played with me. Then, when I was six Pioneer and Dutch Junior Opens, in Sure enough, his confidence was years old, I started training with him,” he addition to “doing well” in the World justified as he defeated all three 3/2 to said. Junior Championships this year. become the first BJO champion from his “At first I used to play both tennis No wonder he is a home-school country. and , but after a while my dad student, with all his lessons sent to him “I knew that I had trained well and asked me to pick one of them and I via the internet. Indeed, he predicts that therefore had a great chance of beating chose squash because I was constantly next year he will “have to” move from them,” he said. “My goal has never attending squash events. He has always his base at the Club Terrazas Miraflores been – and never will be – to finish been my coach, my partner and my to another country. second, but I was definitely surprised by friend during this long process.” That will mean less time for going the other players’ quality at the British Diego began competing in junior out with his friends and playing football Junior Open. This tournament was both tournaments in Peru at the age of eight and tennis, but may be more for his mentally and physically challenging for and he has won every age category in hobbies of reading, watching movies and me.” the South American country. surfing the net – and, of course, It was his never-say-die attitude that A year later he was playing in South emulating his idol, former world impressed the most as his victories over American junior events and he has now champion and no.1 .

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22 THE SQUASH PLAYER